Jackson’s gaze swept across the silver-white panels still displaying fragments of ancient history.

  A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes—

  quickly smothered by a cold, iron resolve.

  “The pulse core’s power is far too dangerous. It must be controlled.

  And to control it, we need order… a single, unified will.

  A few sacrifices are a necessary price.”

  “So Kyle Roan’s wife and daughter, Amy’s brother,

  and all those who died in the explosions—

  they were just ‘necessary sacrifices’?”

  Sunri raised the steam?rifle, aiming directly at Jackson.

  “For the greater good,” Jackson replied, expression unmoving.

  “Lay down your weapons. You may yet live long enough to be imprisoned—

  and witness the dawn of a new era.

  When we fully command the pulse core, the Empire will conquer the world.”

  “No greater good can be built on innocent blood and lies!”

  Sunri pulled the trigger.

  Bang!

  The steam?rifle roared, the specialized round screaming through the air.

  The battle erupted instantly.

  Jackson twisted aside,

  the bullet grazing his shoulder plate in a burst of sparks.

  The guards opened fire—

  nets, adhesive rounds, shock charges—

  a web of suppressive force.

  Ye Lingyun let out a sharp cry,

  “Eighth Form—Cloud Sever!”

  His blade swept out in a deceptively simple arc.

  The air split into countless fine threads,

  as if the clouds themselves were being sliced apart.

  The incoming projectiles disintegrated mid?flight.

  The guards froze in shock,

  forgetting to fire a second volley.

  Ye Lingyun seized the opening,

  his movement exploding into full speed,

  leaving afterimages across the steel platform

  as he aimed straight for Jackson.

  The guards recovered and unleashed a barrage.

  Sunri ducked behind a metal support beam,

  firing precise counter?shots—

  disabling weapons, breaking formations,

  never aiming to kill.

  But the steam?rifle needed time to repressurize.

  Its firepower faltered.

  Amy hid behind a massive gear assembly,

  face pale, clutching a wrench from the workshop.

  During Ye Lingyun’s charge,

  Jackson turned his attention to Sunri.

  He had identified Sunri as the true threat—

  and noted that Sunri avoided lethal shots.

  He tanked two slashes from Ye Lingyun,

  armor sparking as it split,

  then activated his full power.

  Steam roared from his suit,

  launching him forward like a cannon shot.

  “Brother Sunri, watch out!”

  Ye Lingyun shouted, pinned down by two guards.

  Jackson smashed through Sunri’s cover,

  his massive mechanical fist reaching for Sunri’s throat.

  Sunri rolled aside,

  but the rifle was useless at this range.

  Jackson’s strike was about to land—

  When a frail yet unyielding figure

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  burst from a side tunnel

  and slammed into Jackson’s flank.

  Kyle Roan.

  His face was ghost?white,

  bandages soaked through with fresh blood.

  He had forced himself here on sheer will alone.

  He had no weapon—

  only his arms locked desperately around Jackson’s mechanical limb.

  “Jackson… enough!”

  Roan coughed blood, voice raw.

  Jackson froze for a fraction of a second—

  then roared in fury.

  “Kyle! You dare—!”

  He raised his other fist to crush him.

  At that instant,

  the gear?shaped pendant against Sunri’s chest

  erupted in blinding blue light.

  Not gentle this time—

  but sharp, focused,

  a pulse of pure force

  that shot straight into the heart of the pulse?core below.

  Woom—!!!

  The entire cavern trembled violently.

  The core’s blue radiance flared,

  the massive conduits brightening,

  their chaotic energy stabilizing.

  Broken segments reconnected before their eyes.

  At the same time,

  every steam pipe and extraction port

  grafted onto the ancient structure

  was forcibly rejected—

  pushed out by a soft yet irresistible force.

  The crude machinery groaned,

  then fell silent.

  Jackson’s armor sputtered,

  steam output collapsing.

  His strength plummeted.

  He stared at the pulse?core, horrified,

  then at the glowing pendant in Sunri’s hand.

  “That’s… the control key?

  The legendary stabilizer?

  It was real?!”

  The light faded.

  The pulse?core settled into a calm, steady rhythm—

  no longer feeding the Empire’s machinery,

  but returning to its original, balanced state.

  Sunri held the warm pendant,

  feeling Lunelle’s quiet guidance within it.

  “It’s a trigger for repair and balance,” he murmured.

  “She knew this day would come.”

  With the core stabilized,

  Jackson’s advantage vanished.

  Ye Lingyun dispatched the remaining guards

  and leveled his sword at Jackson.

  Panic rippled through the soldiers.

  They fled in all directions.

  Jackson looked at the restored pulse?core,

  then at Roan—weak but unbroken—

  then at Sunri and Ye Lingyun.

  His expression twisted—

  madness, despair, and a strange relief

  all tangled together.

  “Balance… stability?”

  He laughed—

  a hollow, echoing sound

  that filled the cavern with sorrow.

  “You don’t understand!

  Without power, how do you maintain order?

  How do you repel enemies?

  This world… is survival of the fittest!

  The Empire… my Empire…”

  His voice faded,

  as if all strength had drained from him at once.

  Sunri did not fire.

  Ye Lingyun did not strike.

  Roan released his grip,

  staggering backward,

  caught by Amy as she rushed to him.

  He looked at his former friend,

  eyes filled only with sorrow.

  The truth was out.

  The Empire’s foundation of lies had cracked.

  This city—built on the reckless draining of the pulse?core—

  now stood at a crossroads.

  Without its “free” violent energy,

  would steam civilization collapse?

  What new balance could replace it?

  Sunri didn’t know.

  But he knew one thing:

  Lunelle had not left the pendant

  to destroy a civilization.

  She had given them

  a chance to correct a mistake—

  to begin again.

  And they would witness that beginning.